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COURTESY PHOTO
Orchestra director Lyndra Bastian directs violas, cellos, and bassists of the Woodstock High School varsity orchestra as they rehearse in front of the school.
‘Making music together again!’
For the first time since March, WHS orchestra students get together
By Janet Dovidio NEWS@THEWOODSTOCKINDEPENDENT.COM
Woodstock High School orchestra students worked diligently in eLearning classes to rehearse music for a performance last week that was recorded as an outside performance without a live audience. It can be viewed on the orchestra’s Facebook page.
The Woodstock School District 200 music staff worked with administration to create a plan for students to safely come together outside and record while the weather was nice. The students played with masks, followed social distancing, cleaned between groups, and had regular temperature/symptom checks.
“Learning online is trickier and slower than it would be if we were all together in class due to lagging, but it has gone pretty well,” said Lyndra Bastian, orchestra director at Creekside Middle School and Woodstock High School. “It has allowed us to have a better understanding of each instrument’s part while forcing us to become very
Varsity orchestra violinists rehearse in front of WHS.
COURTESY PHOTO
comfortable playing on our own. Because of lagging time, we can’t hear each other well as the students had to each stay on mute while rehearsing virtually.”
The WHS performing groups involved in this concert were the chamber orchestra, varsity orchestra, freshman orchestra, and concert orchestra. The musicians rehearsed outside in two 40-minute sessions before the recording on Sept. 30. The rehearsals were the first time the orchestra played as a group since March 11.
“It’s been really fun and rewarding for us all to be making music together again!” Bastian said.
WHS/WNHS orchestra assistant Becky Blaho helped with the rehearsals.
“The WHS orchestra students went above and beyond to make this happen,” Bastian continued. “They’ve made great usage of their eLearning classes and these two rehearsals for the performance. I am proud of them and appreciate their time and extra effort.”
The recordings can be followed on the WHS/CMS Orchestra Facebook page.
COLLEGE CURRENTS
Selena Cruz earns degree from UW-Stevens Point
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point conferred degrees on more than 1,100 graduates for the spring 2020 semester.
They included Woodstock resident Selena Cruz, who received a Bachelor of Arts in international studies with a concentration in Latin American and Caribbean studies.
Holly Maye admitted to Ohio Wesleyan honors
Holly Maye of Wonder Lake, is among more than 130 first- and seond-year students invited to join the selective Leland F. and Helen Schubert Honors Program this fall at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio.
To be invited to join, incoming students are required to have a minimum 3.6 high school GPA when admitted to the university. Second-year students must have achieved at least a 3.5 GPA while at Ohio Wesleyan.
The Honors Program provides students with a mentored pathway through their studies to help them develop skills in creative inquiry, pursue advanced topics within and across academic disciplines, and master complex analytical and research skills.
Kelsey Coltrane joins new conservation effort
Kelsey Coltrane of Woodstock, a student in the Advanced Inquiry Program of Miami University’s Project Dragonfly, is participating in a new course with conservationists from around the world to launch a conservation campaign for positive ecological and social change.
Miami’s Dragonfly team developed the course, titled “Earth Expeditions: Connected Conservation,” in response to the global health crisis and as an alternative to the summer Earth Expeditions travel field courses that take place in 15 countries throughout the world.
Coltrane works as a client care representative at BluePearl Veterinary Specialty and Emergency in Woodstock.
